muskox

(click to enlarge)
Musk oxen (Ovibos moschatus). (credit: Leonard Lee Rue III)

Arctic ruminant (bovid species Ovibos moschatus) with a musky odour, large head, and small ears. The neck, legs, and tail are short. Males stand 5 ft (1.5 m) tall and may weigh almost 900 lb (400 kg). Both sexes have horns. The broad-based horns of males, up to 2 ft (60 cm) long, start at the middle of the head, dip downward along the sides, and then curve upward. The shaggy, dark brown coat reaches nearly to the feet. Eskimos make a fine cashmerelike cloth from the thick wool undercoat, which is shed in summer. Musk oxen travel in herds of 20 – 30, eating grass, lichen, willow, and other low-growing plants.

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Ovibos moschatus

TAXONOMY

Bos moschatus (Zimmerman, 1780), between Seal and Churchill Rivers, Manitoba, Canada.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Boeuf musqué; German: Moschusochs; Spanish: Buey amizclero.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Massive build with relatively short legs and a slight hump. Height is 47–59 in (120–150 cm). Maximum weight can reach 836 lb (380 kg). Coat is dark brown and coarse, with a dense, soft underfur. Both sexes have horns that are broad and curve down and out.

DISTRIBUTION

Formerly occurred through northern Alaska, Canada, and Greenland into northern Eurasia. May have survived in northern Siberia until 3,000–4,000 years ago. Exterminated from Alaska and parts of Canada during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but conservation measures and reintroductions have restored them to part of this original range. Also introduced to west Greenland, Wrangel Island, and the Taimyr Peninsula in Arctic Russia, and southern Norway.

HABITAT

Tundra. Prefers moist habitats such as lakesides, valley bottoms, and wet meadows in summer. In winter, move to open slopes, ridges, and summits where winds prevent accumulation of snow.

BEHAVIOR

Gregarious, living in herds of up to 100, though usually 10–20. When threatened, they bunch together in a tight circle, facing outward, with calves in the center.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

In summer, they feed on grasses and sedges and, in winter, browse on shrubs and dwarf willow.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Polygamous. The rut takes place June–September. Males display and fight with head-on clash. Dominant bulls drive other males away. Young are born mid-April–mid-June.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened. Populations now stable or increasing. Estimated to number approximately 120,000 in 1997.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Hunted for its meat and hide. Inuit people used its horns to make bows and its light, warm underfur qiviut for clothing.

An even-toed ungulate, Ovibos moschatus, which is a member of the family Bovidae in the mammalian order Artiodactyla. This single species is the northernmost representative of the family, ranging through the tundra areas and snowfields of Canada and Alaska, as well as Greenland.

The musk-ox derives its name from the musky odor it emits. It is a stoutly built animal (see illustration) and has a coat of long dense hair that is resistant to the extreme cold of the windswept treeless tundra. They do not hibernate and are usually found in herds of 20–100 animals huddled together for warmth. As protection against its natural enemy, the wolf, the musk-ox will form a circle with the young inside. Since a cow produces a single calf every 2 years, the numbers have been so reduced that they are now protected by the Canadian government. See also Artiodactyla.

The musk-ox (Ovibos moschatus).

A longhaired, shortnecked, thickset ruminant that survives well in the Arctic wastes. It averages 6 ft high and 800 lb when fullgrown, looks like a cross between a ram and an ox, has lowset droopy horns and a smell of musk—hence the name Ovibos moschatus.